On Tuesday, November 2, the City of Portland, Multnomah, Clackamas, Clark, and Washington Counties, Portland Development Commission (PDC), Metro, State Department of Environmental Quality and the City of Vancouver combined resources to present the 17^th Annual Northwest Public Employees Diversity Conference at the Oregon Convention Center.

The theme of the 2010 conference was “Dialogues on Diversity: Strengthening Community-Government Partnerships” and featured a variety of workshops designed to provide insight on key cultural issues, increasing understanding, and providing knowledge and skills to assist the City of Portland in meeting the needs of the increasingly diverse community.

Sworn and non-sworn representatives from Portland Fire & Rescue’s (PF&R) Management Services, Prevention, and Emergency Operations Divisions attended workshops offered during the conference that focused on understanding interpersonal communication, resolving intercultural conflict, disability in the workforce, strengthening community partnerships, and managing cross-culturally.

Elonda Bristol, PF&R’s Office Support Specialist III in the Management Services Division, noted that she appreciated how the annual conference stresses the idea of inclusiveness in the workplace and the importance of including diversity in businesses core practices.

Click here to learn more about the annual conference.

Cultural Assessment and Portland Fire & Rescue

What measures are PF&R taking to identifying our organization’s strengths and needs for further training and program development to become a more culturally competent organization? Access and read our Cultural Reassessment Report online at http://www.portlandonline.com/fire/index.cfm?c=27964&a=236863.

   Portland Fire & Rescue

   We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

   November 8, 2010